Chapter 11
"My lady," said serving maid softly, "They are here."
The door busts open with the three rulers running in like a herd of cows.
"Claire they're here!" exclaimed Lady Vicky, helping her friend up, "All of you out of the chamber!" she shooed the maids out one by one.
"Claire! Lady Claire! You're awake! Thank goodness!" panted Daniel.
Claire smiled but it never reached her eyes. She looked down sadly.
"Please, tell us what has happened." urged Rebecca.
The Lady-In-Waiting let out a sigh and began talking, "Your Majesties, please believe me when I say we have done everything we could to save our dear Queen. Whatever guards remain alive helped get people out. I was lucky to have made it out alive, but only barely. Three days...three days! I've been resting against a tree when I heard a scream from one of the Queen's maids. Imagine the horror of it all! They have found her but she is nothing but a shell! A body! No longer the Queen we all loved and respected! She is gone! She is gone! I passed out shortly after. When I awoke I realized more people have fallen. Some from hunger, most were driven to the point of insanity for none of us knew where we were or which direction Vienna Palace is located. Days later, it was only me and the serving maid. But she too looked miserable and I was surprised...more like shocked that a mere girl can hold out so long when guards trained to protect the Royal Family have already given up hope. You should have seen her! Holding onto my hand she said "Madame, in a while I will be dead, but," then she paused to get something from her pocket, "Please give this to my mother and father. May they always remember me." That was all. The grip of her hand slipped...it made a soft sound on the earth below us. I mourned for the girl. How devastated her mother and father must be when they discover their daughter is dead. About an hour into the night, your search party has found me. They have not lie. I am the only survivor."
Rebecca broke into tears. Jesse held his wife close. Daniel can only sit there absorbing all the words just said.
"My King! I beg of you, this place is cursed! When we go to Aurelie Couture please burn this palace down! More then one monarch has lost their lives in this wretched place! Yet we continue to come here. For the sake of everyone, Sire! I do not trust this place and I know you agree with me!" screamed Claire.
"Claire! Calm down, it's the King you are talking to." Vicky shook Claire's shoulders.
"I cannot! This is just too dreadful! Pamela was more than our Queen! She was our friend! No other monarch has been like her. I can't live like this! I miss everyone...Queen Pamela, Vicky, King Daniel, the Princesses and my daughter..." sobbed Claire.
"Oh yes! That's right. I had almost forgotten. Lady Vicky, bring Lady Gia to her mother's chamber immediatly." said Daniel.
Vicky curtsied and left.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you."
"Claire, you're always welcomed," the King began, "Now do you still have what the serving maid has given you?"
Lady Claire stopped her sobbing and looked up, "Why, yes, I do." She pointed towards a kirtle piled on a couch. "In one of my pockets."
Rebecca got up and searched for it since Jesse and Daniel are clearly too embarrassed to search a woman's kirtle. Even if she is not wearing it right now.
"I found it!" exclaimed Rebecca, displaying it proudly.
"That's great! Now bring it over so we can see also." said Daniel.
The Empress placed it on Claire's bed. It was a rose colored fan with floral designs here and there. No specks of dirt could be found on either side despite its owner being a maid. The most fascinating thing on the fan was probably the words stiched with aqua thread. Daniel turned it over so they could read what it said on the right side.
"Grace Skeffington." Claire read aloud.
"She's here." announced Vicky suddenly with Gia behind her.
"Mother!" Gia ran up and the two embraced.
"Hello, dear." Claire responded.
Gia let go and smiled, "I'm so glad you're alright! The Princess has been crying and did nothing but mope around up until her cousin came and now I recieved news you are well again!"
"Of course! I would never die without saying good-bye first."
"Mother, please don't talk about death. We have heard nothing but that subject."
"Alright. Now where is Princess Stephanie?"
Her daughter closed her eyes and tried to think.
"I believe she is with Prince Nicholas in the courtyard. But by now she's probably back inside. Though not in her room."
"Well then, if I were to ask for your permission to take this fan back to Grace's mother, would you oblige?" asked Daniel.
"Of course, you are King afterall." nodded Claire.
"But I still need to ask for things now don't I?" laughed Daniel, though it really wasn't that funny so everyone pretended they didn't hear him.
Daniel took the fan with him to leave.
"I guess we'll just go take a stroll around the Palace." said Rebecca, dragging Jesse with her.
"Who's Grace Skeffington?" Gia asked her mother.
"The name of the serving maid that died and asked me to give her fan to her parents."
'Skeffington..." thought Gia.
"Gia, are you still listening?" asked Claire.
"Oh! Yes, mother. I just thought of something is all."
"What are you thinking about?"
"Grace Skeffington has the same last name as Laura Skeffington. Whom is Stephanie's governess." Gia told Claire.
"If what you said was true, then Grace is her daughter. I feel so sorry for Laura Skeffington. I really do."
Gia got up, "I'll go find Stephanie and tell her. Give me the fan."
Claire gave it to her.
The brunette walked as fast as she could in her gown to get to Stephanie's chamber.
"Stephanie!" She yelled as she threw open the door.
In the chamber, Stephanie and Nicky were sitting at Stephanie's desk with a letter.
"Yes, Gia?" asked Stephanie.
"Did you know Countess Skeffington had a daughter?"
"A what!"
"A daughter!"
"You mean Countess Skeffington...as in my governess!"
Gia rolled her eyes, "What part of 'Countess Skeffington' do you not understand? Besides, there's only one Skeffington in this entire Kingdom minus her husband that is."
"Oh my goodness! Mickey!"
Mickey walked up and curtsied.
"Go find the Countess Laura Skeffington and bring her here immediately! This is urgent!" Stephanie commanded.
Lady Mickey nodded and left.
The Princess put her face into her hands and sighed, "How could this happen? How could it? First my mother and now my governess has also lost someone dear to her. This truly is a cursed place. I will ask my father to leave as soon as possible."
"I feel the same way, Your Highness." Gia and all the other Ladies always used formalities when times are too serious for nicknames.
"That reminds me, Gia. Is your mother alright?"
"She is fine. I thank god I still have my mother with me. But it doesn't seem fair to you nor anyone else that a good person has to die."
"Life is like that. You can be the most content in the world then be the most miserable on earth,"
"I am too upset to think about life and death."
"So am I." added the Prince. "I shall go pray and thank the heavens that I still have my mother and father with me. Hopefully Alex will understand this too." He bowed and left.
"I thought it would be queer to have my friends bow and curtsy to me. But so is having my own cousin bowing to me! Considering how much the Emperor, my uncle, respects his sister, my mother. My two twin cousins have always been taught manners to our family. Even though Alex is more obsessed with the heir issue."
Gia took a seat on the window sill. The sun was setting. Somehow it felt like the sun was setting on life.
"Countess Laura Skeffington!"
The head that once shined with flaming red hair was now. The cheerful smile absent from her face. Her clothes did not even look the same as usual! The gown resembles something Lancaster might wear. She wasn't alone. Skeffington's husband was right behind her. He too looked like he added a couple years to his appearence. What has happened to the two merry couple she used to know? Why do they look so grave?
"Madame, Sir Mac. " Stephanie greeted.
The Skeffington couple both bowed.
"Please! Do not bow." Stephanie raised them up and offered them a seat on the couch.
The couple quietly sat down but said nothing.
"I'm guessing you already know?"
"Yes, Your Highness." answered Countess Skeffington.
Stephanie frowned. Her governess has never called her 'Your Highness' before. Not even the day she was born! It was always 'Lady Princess' or something like that but never 'Your Highness'!
"I am so sorry about this. If my mother had not brought her along with her, she may have lived."
Sir Mac jumped up, "No, Your Highness! It is not the Queen's fault! Please do not blame yourselves. We are glad to be serving under the Royal Family."
Stephanie nodded. Clearly shocked that Sir Mac had just spoken. The man was so quiet before she had thought he'd gone mute.
"My husband is right. We are truly glad to be in your services." Skeffington gave a small smile.
"Sir Charles!" a voice outside announced.
Charles and Derek came in laughing.
"Hello Majesty!" Charles bowed but Derek fell over.
"Hello, Charles. And please," Stephanie poured herself and the Skeffingtons some tea. "Don't call me 'Majesty'. That's what they call my father. Also, what they used to, and probably still do, my mother."
"My apologies. Derek here is drunk. Too much of any kind of wine will have the same effect on him." Laughed Charles.
"Drunk? You are old enough aren't you? Because you always seem so young to many people." Questioned Stephanie.
"Why Princess! I am the same age as your sister, Princess Michelle! 21! Perhaps even older! Lost track! I'm becoming so senile!" Chuckled Derek.
Charles patted his friend on the back.
"So Princess, what are you discussing? Religion, Politics, Alliances?"
"No, no and definetly no! I'm speaking about the Skeffingtons' daughter. What was her name?"
"Grace Skeffington." said Gia, giving her the velvet fan.
The Countess' eyes widened.
"That's the fan I made for my darling Grace the day she was old enough to help out at the Palace! My poor dear!" sobbed Skeffington.
Stephanie put the fan into Skeffington's hand and closed her fingers around it.
"My mother, Lady Claire told me that Grace had wanted you to have the fan back before she died." Gia told them.
Skeffington wiped her tears, "Thank you, Lady Gia."
"You're always welcome, Madame."
Later on that evening, the Skeffingtons went back to their own estates. Stephanie, Gia, Mickey, Charles and Derek sat in Stephanie's chamber. After the funeral of Queen Pamela, no one has really had the spirit to go down to the dining hall and eat. Dinner was served in their own rooms.
"Charles, do you consider me as a friend?" asked Stephanie.
"I always had." He answered swiftly. 'Sometimes I wish we can be more than friends...but that is absurd for a simple scholar, a new one for that matter, to even think about.' He added in his thoughts.
"Then when we go to Aurelie Couture, would you come with me?" There was a hint of hope in Stephanie's voice like she really really wanted him to go.
"I would be honoured."
A/n: I haven't updated a while have I? Sorry! Hope you liked this chapter! I made it as long as I can make it make sense in one chapter. Read & Review!
